The Story of Us
by Hell.En B
Summary: AU. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't have her best friends around. And that is because they were always there. Years together of laughter, tears, secrets, fights and love. It was great story. Their story. Faberry, side Brittana.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **The Story of Us

**Pairing: **Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in here.

**Summary: **AU. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't have her best friends around. And that is because they were always there. Years together of laughter, tears, secrets, fights and love. It was great story. Their story. Faberry, side Brittana.

**A/N: **Lucy Caboosey never happened. Russell and Judy Fabray are OOC.

Please, have in mind that English is _not _my first language when you read this. If it's too bad, just tell me and I'll try to make it better next time. This idea has been in my mind for quite some time now and I just wanted to put it out there. I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter 1 ― Elementary School**

Quinn looked one more time at the colorful door and took a step back. She didn't want to go in there, no matter what her big sister told her.

"Come on, Quinn," Frannie said and pushed her little sister in the school's direction. "It'll be fun! You'll make a lot of friends."

The smaller girl shook her head. "I don't want to go in there, Frannie. I want to go home!"

Frannie sighed and grabbed her little sister by her hands. Quinn looked adorable in her blue dress, with her long golden locks and big hazel eyes. And, of course, her gigantic pout. Bringing her closer, Frannie looked directly into her eyes and smiled.

"Hey, you trust me, right?"

The little nodded. "Yeah, Fran."

"Good. So, right now, I'm telling you this: you are going to _love _this school." She pulled her closer and hugged her little sister, felling Quinn press her face against her shoulder. "Trust me, okay?"

"But… what if they don't like me?"

Frannie snorted. "Please, Quinn. They'll love you."

"How do you know?" she mumbled against her older sister shoulder.

"Because it's impossible not to," Frannie answered and pulled back so she could look her sister in the eyes. "I love you, baby. Mom and Dad love you, too. And all of your friends will love you, too. You'll see."

Nodding once more, the small girl let go of her sister's hands and took a step back. "Okay, I'll go," she said and Frannie beamed. "You'll be here, right? Later. To take me home."

"Of course I'll be here."

Quinn let her sister put her bright yellow backpack on her shoulders and went for a last hug, squeezing her and breathing her sweet perfume. Frannie made her feel safe, always had, and she didn't want to let go. Never.

"Quinn?"

"Do I really have to go?" she whined.

Frannie rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Yeah, sis. You really do."

"'Kay." Letting go, she took a step back and went in the colorful door direction. There was a blonde woman there, letting other kids in the school. Turning around, she waved. "Bye, Fran."

"I'll see you later, baby." She waved back.

Frannie watched her little sister walk inside the school and smiled. Quinn would be fine. When she couldn't see her blonde head anymore, she turned around and started walking away. She had to go to school, too, after all.

* * *

Quinn entered the room and frowned. There were kids _everywhere_. And they were weird. There was this kid that was just too big to be there, he almost didn't fit in the small chairs where they were supposed to sit. And the boy beside him had the most ridiculous hair she had ever seem in her young life. Was that even considered a haircut?

"Hi, kids!" A blonde woman that had a gigantic smile on her face entered the room after her. "My name is Holly Holiday and I'm going to be your teacher this year! How cool is that?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the woman. She was wearing a white blouse with a big smiling face in the front. And she was still smiling, too. It was like they were competing.

Noticing the small blonde standing in the front of the class, she went to kneel in front of her. "Well, hello there! What's your name, little girl?"

Her smile really was scary. "Quinn."

"Hello, Quinn. Nice to meet you. Why don't you go sit beside that lovely boy with the awesome hair? He seems like a nice guy, uh?"

Nodding, she went to sit in the small chair beside the boy with the weird haircut. He grinned at her when she sat.

"Hey, I'm Puck."

"I'm Quinn," she said and frowned one more time. "What happened to your hair?"

The boy shrugged. "It's a Mohawk. Do you like it?"

"No."

"Okay, kids. Let's have some fun!" Holly yelled.

* * *

They were all running around the small park and yelling like a bunch of crazy monkeys. Quinn went to sit on the grass with the sandwich her mother had put in her bag that morning. Puck and Finn ― that was the name of the giant ― were pushing each other around not so far and she was so distracted looking that she didn't notice the girl sitting beside her.

"Hi!"

She jumped and yelled, almost letting her sandwich fall. Turning, she found another blonde girl with bright blue eyes sitting there, smiling.

"Hi," Quinn said and moved a little away. The blonde was just too close.

"Brittany, don't scare the girl!"

A small brunette stopped behind the other blonde and Quinn felt her mouth opening. The girl was so small and pretty and she had the biggest brown eyes she had ever seen. When those big eyes turned to her, the blonde blushed.

"Sorry about Brittany, she just wanted to say hi to you," the small brunette said and smiled. "I'm Rachel."

"It's okay." Quinn looked down because she could fell her cheeks going red one more time. Rachel had a beautiful smile, too. "I'm Quinn."

Brittany grinned. "You have a beautiful name, Quinn. I like it. I don't like that other woman's name, though. It's just confusing. I mean, Holly Holiday? Hey, Rach, can I call her Holly Christmas?"

Rachel frowned. "Not really, Britt…"

"Oh." The blonde pouted. "Why?"

"Because that's not her name."

"But Christmas is a Holiday, right? And her name is Holly Holiday. So, it's, like, the same thing. Holly Holiday, Holly Christmas… Wait, isn't Christmas a Holiday? I always thought it was! No, wait, what's a Holiday?" Brittany frowned. "I'm just confused now."

The brunette kneeled beside the frowning blonde and patted her blonde head. "It's okay, Brittany. It is really confusing. And a Holiday is a day― Oh, my God! Santana, let go of Finn's hair right this moment!"

The other two blondes turned their head to see another brunette pulling the hair of the now crying giant with both hands, screaming things that they could not understand. Finn looked terrified.

The small Latina let go, but not before kicking the boy where she knew would hurt the most. Finn fell on the floor, crying and screaming. "Listen here, Hudson. You touch my ass one more time and I will kill you, idiot!"

"But I never―"

"Shut up!"

Rachel watched the other brunette make her way toward them with an annoyed face, her little arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Berry." The small Latina rolled her eyes. "He asked for that."

"Did he touch your ass, San?" Brittany asked.

The Latina shrugged. "Not really."

"Then why would you hit him?" Rachel looked horrified.

"I just don't like the stupid giant," she answered. "And I felt like hitting him."

Noticing the silent blonde still sitting on the grass with her untouched sandwich in hands, Santana frowned.

"And who are you, blondie?"

"She is Quinn!" Brittany exclaimed and beamed. "Look at her, San, she is just like my new Barbie."

Santana snickered. "Totally."

Quinn was _not _amused.

"I don't look like a Barbie!"

"You kind of do, Quinn," Rachel said with her beautiful smile. "It's cute, actually."

And, just like that, Quinn was blushing mess all over again.

She had no idea at the time, but, years later, she would look back at this exactly moment and smile, because that was one of the most important moments of her life. That day, Quinn met three of the most important people of her life.

She met _the _most important person of her life.

It was a very special moment. Weird, but still special.

"What about Holly Easter? Can I call her that?"

"Oh, Brittany…"

Weird, indeed.

* * *

Frannie waited with all the other parents outside the school, looking for her small sister's blonde head. When she finally saw her exiting the school, a big smile formed in her face because Quinn was walking beside three other small girls, laughing. She so knew that Quinn would have no problem.

"Hey, Fran!"

"Hi, kids," Frannie said and smiled at all of them. "How was your first day?"

The blonde girl with blue eyes looked at her with her mouth opened, her bright eyes shining in awe. "San, look." She shook one of the sleeves of the little Latina brunette one. "She looks like my Barbie, too. But even bigger. Isn't that awesome?"

Frannie was stunned. "Hmmm, thanks?"

"Sure, Britt," the Latina said. Turning to the older girl, she scowled. "Who are you?"

"I'm Quinn's big sister," she answered.

Santana nodded. "Whatever."

The other brunette of the group huffed. "Santana Maria Lopez, do not be rude!"

"Rachel Barbra Berry, do not call me that!" Santana mocked.

Quinn looked between the two brunettes that were now discussing rather loudly and then looked at her sister, who was also observing the other girls with an amused smile on her face.

Brittany took a step forward and poked Frannie, grabbing her attention.

"Does your mother look like a Barbie, too?"

Frannie nodded. "I think so, yeah."

"Awesome!" She grinned and, surprising the other girl, hugged her. "I'm Brittany."

"Nice to meet you, Brittany. I'm Frannie," she said to the innocent blonde girl.

"You have a beautiful name. Quinn has, too. But our teacher doesn't. Hers is just confusing." The blonde stepped back and shrugged.

By now, the other brunettes had stopped arguing and were just glaring at each other. Huffing, the smaller one turned to her and gave her the brightest smile Frannie had ever seen. Now, that little girl was just adorable. She was so small Frannie wanted to pick her up and put her in her pocket.

"I'm Rachel," she said and, like Brittany, stepped forward to hug her. She was so small that her head barely reached the older girl's waist. "Sorry about Santana, it's impossible for her to be polite."

The Latina rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Tiny."

Stepping back, Rachel went to stand beside her little sister. Quinn blushed and looked away when the girl smiled at her. Now, that was something interesting.

Smirking, Frannie turned to the last one of the small group.

Santana scoffed. "I'm not hugging you, bitch."

Rachel gasped. "Santana!"

"What?"

"I'm so telling your mother that you said that!"

"You wouldn't dare, Berry."

"Oh, try me."

And, just like that, they were fighting all over again.

Frannie shook her head. Those girls were something else. Looking at her baby sister, she found Quinn beaming, proud of her crazy friends.

"Ready to go home, sis?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Quinn almost fell when Brittany hugged her. "Bye, Quinn!" Then the blonde threw herself against the older girl, hugging one of her legs. "Bye, Frannie!"

Chuckling, she patted Brittany's blonde head. "Bye, Brittany."

Rachel turned around, ignoring the Latina who was in the middle of her argument and hugged Quinn, too. Oh, her little sister was a blushing mess. "It was really nice to meet you, Quinn, and I'll see you tomorrow. You, too, Frannie. I wish you both a lovely day."

Frannie was impressed.

"Thanks, Rachel," she said. "Hmmm, bye, Santana."

"_Adiós, _Barbies."

Rachel beamed. "Oh, look who is there! Hello, Mrs. Lopez. I have so many things to talk to you about Santana!" she said and went after who apparently was Santana's mother.

The small Latina looked petrified. "Tiny, don't you dare!" And then she took off after the small brunette. Brittany just shrugged and waved at the two sisters before following her friends.

Taking one of her hands, Frannie looked over her baby sister, seeing her permanent big smile.

"I told you, Quinn."

The smaller blonde nodded, her hazel eyes shining like she had never seen before. "I really loved it, Fran. I can't wait for tomorrow."

Looking back at the school, Frannie spotted the other three girls and smiled when she saw Santana scowling, Rachel beaming and Brittany frowning. When she waved, all of them, even Santana, waved back.

She had a good feeling about those girls. She really did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **The Story of Us

**Pairing: **Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in here.

**Summary: **AU. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't have her best friends around. And that is because they were always there. Years together of laughter, tears, secrets, fights and love. It was great story. Their story. Faberry, side Brittana.

**A/N: **Thank you for all the alerts, favorites and reviews, people! I really appreciate them. Well, here's chapter 2, I hope you like it. Same thing, if my writing is too bad, just let me know!

**Chapter 2 ― Elementary School**

Judy looked up from her book when she heard the front door open.

"We're home!" Frannie yelled. "And we brought the crazy monkeys!"

Rachel's dramatic gasp could be heard from the living room.

"Frannie!" She sounded outraged. "We are _not _monkeys."

"Yeah, Frannie, we are unicorns!"

"No, Brittany, we aren't unicorns either."

"But… San!"

"Tiny, shut up! We are unicorns, that's final."

"This is so unaccepta― Oh, dear God! Brittany, don't pout. Alright, we are unicorns! Just, please, stop pouting."

"Yay!"

"I hope you are happy, Santana."

"_Very_."

Chucking, she got up from the couch and went to the corridor. She found Quinn and Frannie standing aside, just observing the show. Rachel and Santana were now arguing one more time, words in English and Spanish flying everywhere and Brittany was just ignoring all of them, looking at the pictures on the wall.

"Girls," Judy called.

The discussion stopped immediately and they looked at her.

"Rachel, Santana. What are you doing?" she asked just because she knew what would happen. It had been a month, after all. A long and crazy month, full of kids running around the house and the most inappropriate comments made in the most inappropriate moments, but also the happiest month they ever had in that house. She already loved each one of those crazy kids.

Both girls blushed and looked at each other with panicked expressions. They knew they weren't allowed to fight inside the house, but they really couldn't help themselves. Rachel blamed it on Santana. She was just unbearable!

"I― we― uh!" the diva mumbled. "We were… comparing opinions."

The older blonde had to hold back an amused smile.

"Comparing opinions?"

"Yeah," Rachel continued, nodding. "Loudly."

Santana scoffed. "Are you an idiot?"

"I'm not seeing you helping here!"

Deciding to stop it before it got out of hand once again, Quinn stepped between the brunettes and smiled. "Hi, mom! Where is dad?"

"He's in his office, Quinnie. Working," she added. "Girls, what are the rules around here when dad is working?"

"No yelling," Rachel said.

"Or running around the house," Quinn added.

"Or swearing," Santana mumbled.

"Or trying to enter his office to hug him!" Brittany finished.

Judy chuckled. "That's correct. And, Santana, that rule applies for all the time, missy." She pointed at her and the small Latina just nodded. Satisfied, she smiled again and opened her arms. "Alright, now, I didn't get my hugs today, did I?"

Immediately, Brittany threw herself in her arms, giggling. Kissing the blonde's head, Judy let her go in order to hug her younger daughter. Quinn mumbled a soft 'hi' against her shoulder and turned her head to receive her own kiss on the cheek. Rachel was next, hugging her and kissing the older woman's cheek herself. Judy shook her head, amused, and kissed the small diva's forehead. When it got to Santana, though, the Latina just crossed her arms over her chest and looked to the floor.

It was always like this, since the first time she entered the Fabray house. Santana never initiated contact with anyone other than Brittney, Rachel and now Quinn. Judy didn't know why, but it always intrigued her.

"Are you going to hug me today, Santana?" she asked and opened her arms once more.

The Latina shook her head and stayed looking down.

Sighing, Judy smiled at the girl. "Well, I guess I'll just have to hug you, then."

Stepping forward, she took the small brunette in her arms and hugged her tightly. After a few awkward seconds, she finally felt the girl relax against her. She didn't hug her back, but she didn't try to pull away, either, like the first few times Judy tried to hug her. It was progress.

"Nice to see you again, Santana," she said and kissed her forehead, too.

"You, too, Mrs. Fabray," the Latina replied. "Thank you," she whispered.

Letting her go, she turned to her older daughter, who was still standing aside, just watching her mother interact with the kids. "Will I have to hug you, too, Fran?"

Frannie rolled her eyes, but stepped forward to give her mother a hug.

"Hey, mom," she mumbled.

"Hi, Francesca."

Santana snickered. "Francesca."

Frannie huffed. "Oh, shut up, Santana Maria."

The Latina glared and mouthed 'bitch' to the older girl. Frannie smirked over her mother's shoulder.

"Alright, kids, you can go now," Judy said after she released her daughter. "I'll call when dinner is ready. And remember: dad's working."

They all nodded and started walking toward the stairs, just to take off running when they thought Judy wasn't looking anymore. But of course she was still looking.

She chuckled. "Kids…"

_Crazy _kids.

* * *

Quinn sat at the couch while Santana was playing with the remote control of the living room's big television. The girl was just pressing random buttons, changing channels, messing with the volume, etc. Brittany, who was sitting beside the Latina on the floor, was trying really hard to keep up with the girl, her frown deepening every time the channel changed.

"Santana, just choose something already before you explode the television," Rachel said, entering the room with two cups of milk, one in each hand. "Or Brittany's head. Whatever happens first."

Coming to sit beside the blonde on the couch, Rachel smiled.

"Here, Quinn, I got this for you." She offered one of the cups. The blonde grinned.

"Thanks, Rachel," Quinn mumbled and accepted the cup. It was warm, just the way she liked.

Shrugging, the small brunette tried to watch television, but Santana was still playing with the control. She rolled her eyes and sighed, deciding not to start another argument with the Latina. So, instead, she got closer to the blonde and took a small sip of her soy milk.

"What are you reading, Quinn?"

"Hmmm, Harry Potter," the blonde answered a grinned. "Do you like it?"

The brunette frowned. "I never really read any of the books."

Quinn looked appalled.

"What do you mean? Who have never read Harry Potter?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Quinn, don't be a Drama Queen." She grinned when she saw the expression on the blonde's face. "Oh, I know. I'm a hypocrite. Deal with it."

"Right." Quinn chuckled and shook her blonde head. "Anyway, I just started reading the first book again. So, do you want to read it with me?"

Rachel looked at the book and then looked at the blonde. One big blinding smile appeared on her face and her chocolate eyes shined with warmth. "Really?"

"Sure. Come here."

She scooted closer while Quinn went back to the beginning of the book again. Their arms were pressed together and Rachel relished in the closeness. Quinn was warm and always smelled like strawberries.

That afternoon, Rachel and Quinn passed hours sitting on that couch while the blonde read the few first chapters of the book aloud and Rachel just listened to the blonde read, her head resting comfortably on the blonde's shoulder.

And that was how they started what would become a habit to them.

Long afternoons, a couch, Harry Potter, milk, closeness and Santana playing with the television in the background.

* * *

Judy came into the living room to find Frannie running around the room, laughing and holding the remote control of the television over her head. Right after her, Santana was fuming and screaming what she was sure to be obscenities in Spanish. Quinn, Rachel and Brittany were sitting on the couch, bored expressions on their faces.

"Frannie!"

Her older daughter stopped abruptly, making Santana run into her back. Both of them tumbled forward.

"Ouch."

Satisfied, Judy beamed at the other three girls. "Come on, kids. Dinner is ready!"

They jumped out of the couch and sidestepped Frannie and Santana, who now were basically wrestling on the floor, remote control long forgotten. Entering the dining room, they found Russell Fabray sitting at the head of the table, sipping a glass of water.

The blonde man grinned when he saw the little girls, his dimples showing.

"Hey, my little monkeys are here!"

Rachel huffed. "Why do they keep saying we are monkeys?"

"Yeah, we are totally unicorns," Brittany said.

Russell gave each one a kiss on the top of the head and watched as they went to seat.

"Where's Santana?" he asked.

"She is being her insufferable self with Frannie in the living room," Rachel answered. "Oh, speaking of the devil! Quite literally this time…"

Santana and Frannie entered the dining room at that moment, glaring at each other. Judy followed close behind, bringing the dinner to the table. Everyone smiled when the saw all the food Judy had cooked.

"Judy, honey, this smells delicious!" Russell beamed at his wife.

"Thank you, honey."

After praying, they started eating. Russell loved those nights when the little girls stayed for dinner. He liked seeing Santana bickering with Frannie, Brittany making weird questions, Judy trying to answer the blonde the best way possible. But, most of all, he liked to see his little princess talking enthusiastically with one cute little brunette.

Quinn had always being a bit shy, talking only when directly asked something. He honestly thought that his baby girl would have a hard time making friends. But then Rachel just popped out of nowhere and changed everything. Now, it was hard to find Quinn quiet when the small diva was around.

Looking now, he saw that his daughter was in the middle of an animated discussion, talking and gesticulating. Both were so concentrated in the discussion that they'd forgotten their plates.

"Quinn, Rachel," he called. They stopped talking to look at him, both with an adorable annoyed expression on their faces for being interrupted. Russell chuckled. "Your food will get cold, kids."

Nodding, they poked their food for a moment, just to forget it once again and return to their interrupted conversation.

One month. Had it been that long? It felt like it was yesterday when he came back home from the office to find his house full of kids running and screaming. The cute little diva, the bubbly blonde and the fierce Latina. They just barged into their lives and turned everything upside down.

They'd never been happier.

_Quinn_'d never been happier.

Santana was now trying to poke Frannie with her fork, while Judy blushed because of Brittany's inappropriate comments and Quinn laughed loudly because of something Rachel had just said.

Russell grinned and went back to eating his salad.

It was just another dinner at the Fabray house.

* * *

They were back at the living room again, watching a movie. It was late, Santana and Brittany's parents had already passed by to pick up their daughters, but Rachel was still there. She and Quinn were snuggled together beside Frannie on the bigger couch, whispering and giggling to each other, while Russell and Judy were sitting on the smaller one.

It was only half an hour later that the doorbell rang.

Rachel and Quinn were now sleeping with Frannie holding both of them against her sides, almost asleep as well. It was almost midnight, after all.

Russell went to get the door and found a man in a suit outside.

"Hi, I'm Hiram Berry." The man offered one hand and Russell took it, shanking it. "I'm Rachel's father. You must be Russell. Rachel talks a lot about you."

"That's me. Hmmm, Rachel is sleeping in the living room. Just wait here and I'll bring her to you," Russell said and disappeared inside the house. A few minutes later, he came back with a sleeping Rachel in his arms, her tinny arms hugging his neck. "There you go."

Hiram took his daughter in his arms and held her close.

"Dad?" Rachel mumbled against his chest.

"It's me, princess. Ready to go home?"

"Yeah." She yawned. "Is Daddy home yet?"

"Not yet, Rachel," he answered and turned to Russell. "Thank you for having her today, Russell. I hope she hasn't caused any trouble."

Russell shook his head. "She is an angel."

"That she is." Hiram looked down and smiled. "Goodnight, Russell."

And with that, he turned around and went to his car. Russell stayed outside, observing them 'till the car disappeared down the street. Something was telling him that there was something off about that Berry man, he just didn't know what. A small hand tugging one of his sleeves broke his musing.

"Dad, where's Rachel?" Quinn sleepily mumbled.

Scooping his little girl in his arms, he felt her nuzzle his neck.

"She went home, sweetheart."

"Hmmm… I'll see her tomorrow, right? We have to read Harry Potter."

He chuckled. "Sure, baby girl."

With one last look outside, he closed the front door of the house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **The Story of Us

**Pairing: **Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in here.

**Summary: **AU. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't have her best friends around. And that is because they were always there. Years together of laughter, tears, secrets, fights and love. It was great story. Their story. Faberry, side Brittana.

**A/N: **Again, thank you all for the reviews. I was going to update it yesterday, but I kind of forgot ):

Anyway, enjoy.

**Chapter 3 ― Elementary School**

The first time it happened was eight months after they met.

Rachel and Quinn were lying on the couch, now reading Harry Potter's sixth book. Rachel had her head on Quinn's shoulder, eyes closed while she listened to the blonde reading. They had passed so much time on that same couch, doing the same thing, but she couldn't get tired of it. Quinn's warmth, her suave voice and her perfume made her feel safe and at peace.

The doorbell rang and they just lifted their heads enough to see Russell walking toward the door.

"Hiram, hi," they heard Russell saying and Rachel frowned. She didn't want to go home yet. "Rachel is with Quinn right now. Do you want me to get her?"

Involuntarily, the arm that the diva had draped over the blonde's stomach tightened. Feeling the small brunette tense beside her, Quinn gave her a sad smile and closed the book. Turning to her side, she wrapped Rachel in a tight hug.

"I don't want to go yet," Rachel whispered and buried her head on the blonde's neck.

"I don't want you to go yet," Quinn replied and hugged the smaller girl closer.

They stayed like that and just listened.

"Actually, Russell," Hiram said. "I would like to talk to you for a second."

"Oh. Well, come in, then."

The sound of the front door closing was followed by footsteps. Both men disappeared down the hall, their voices soon disappearing, too, when they entered Russell's office.

When it was silence again, Rachel sighed and relaxed against her blonde friend now that she knew she still had a few minutes more with Quinn.

"What do you think they are talking about in there?" Quinn mumbled against her hair, where her face was pressed.

Rachel shrugged. "I have no idea. I don't really care either."

"Why not?"

"Because Dad always says it's adult stuff and that I shouldn't try to understand it." The small diva huffed. "I gave up trying a while ago."

Quinn hummed and let it go.

"Do you want to read some more, Rach?"

"Not really." Rachel nuzzled the blonde's neck. "Can we just stay like this for now?"

"Sure."

And that was the way Judy found them ten minutes later. A small smile appeared at the older woman's face. They looked adorable, cuddling in the middle of the big couch.

"Girls," she called.

Quinn was the only one that looked up. "Hi, mom."

Walking further inside the room, she stopped beside the couch. She saw that Rachel had her face buried in Quinn's neck, her small hands grasping at her daughter's white dress almost desperately, like she feared letting Quinn go.

"Why don't you bring Rachel to the kitchen, Quinnie?" she asked gently. "Your dad and Mr. Berry want to talk to you."

"'Kay, mom."

When Judy exited the room, Quinn sighed and gently shook the girl in her arms. Rachel whined and clung to her, making Quinn sigh again.

"Come on, Rach…"

"But I don't want to go," Rachel whined.

"We have to, Rach. I'll be there with you, okay? You can even hold my hand if you want," she assured the other girl.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Taking one deep breath, the small diva disentangled herself of the other girl and jumped out of the couch. Quinn stood up and smoothed down her dress before grabbing one of Rachel's little hands. It always amazed her how tiny Rachel really was.

"Let's go," she said and tugged Rachel forward, leading her out of the living room. Taking their time, they walked slowly down the hall, relishing in the last few minutes they would have together that day.

They finally reached the kitchen and found Russell and Judy standing not too far, facing Hiram Berry. Mr. Berry was dressed in his usual black suit and his brown hair combed elegantly. Rachel remembered how she used to find him so handsome when he would dress like that, but now it was he's usual clothing. She never really saw him going out of their house wearing anything else.

"Hi, Dad," she greeted. "Is it time to go home already?"

Mr. Berry shook his head and smiled. "Not today, princess. I was talking to Mr. Fabray because I needed to ask him a big favor and he decided to help me. You see, I received an e-mail earlier saying that I'll have to go away for a little while. My boss asked me to travel and I'll be away for two days, princess."

Rachel frowned. "But… Daddy is travelling, too."

"I know, I know." He scratched the back of his neck and looked around the big kitchen, looking for an easier to explain this to his little daughter. "Daddy had to travel, too, and that's why I was talking to Mr. Fabray, honey. You'll be staying here with them for two days until I come back."

The frown rapidly disappeared. "I'll be staying here?"

"Yes, Rachel, you'll be staying here with us until your father comes back from his business trip," Russell said. "He already left some clothes for you and you'll be sleeping in the guest room."

She wanted to smile, but there was a strange felling at the pit of her stomach that wouldn't let her. Without noticing, she squeezed Quinn's hand harder, almost making the blonde wince.

"Dad," she called and stepped forward, but didn't let Quinn's hand go. She needed her close because Quinn made her feel safe.

Hiram kneeled before his daughter and smiled.

"Yes, princess?"

Rachel looked up at him with big shinning brown eyes filled with anxiety. "You'll come back, right?"

Hiram eyes softened. "Of course, I'll come back, Rachel."

"Okay," she said and stepped into her father's arms, finally letting Quinn go in order to hug him properly. She buried her face in his strong shoulder, breathing his familiar cologne and felling his arms press her against his hard chest. "I'll be waiting, Dad."

"You're a good girl, Rachel," he murmured against her ear. Having his baby in his arms like that made him remember the old days, when they would sit in front of the television to watch a musical with their tiny daughter squeezed between them, singing and laughing. God, how he missed those old days. "I'll be back before you even notice. And you'll have Quinn to make you company."

The blonde in question nodded her head enthusiastically. The idea of having Rachel with her for two entire days was simply wonderful. They could do whatever they wanted during the whole weekend, spend all day reading and talking. It would be so good!

Putting her back on her feet, he kissed her forehead. "I have to go now. It'll be a long trip." He smiled softly. "Behave, Rachel."

"I will, dad."

"Good." Turning to the other two adults in the room, he thanked them once more before disappearing through the front door.

Rachel followed him outside and waved until she couldn't see his red car anymore. Quinn was beside her, holding her hand again.

"Alright, girls!" Russell shouted and picked them both up. They screamed and giggled, delighted. "Time for bed!"

Caring them inside, he closed the front door with his foot and walked to the stairs. Once on the second floor, he stopped first in front of Quinn's door and put his daughter back on her feet. Patting her butt gently, he opened the door and rushed her inside.

"I'll be back in a minute and you better be ready to bed, Quinn," he warned.

She beamed and nodded before closing the door.

"Now, you, Miss Berry," he said and started walking down the corridor. They passed Frannie's bedroom door and the bathroom before stopping in front of the opened gest room's door. "In you go."

Back on her feet, she entered the room to find Judy putting some of her clothes out of her pink bag. The older woman smiled at her and offered a pajama to her. It was pink and full of little gold star; her favorite.

"Thank you, Judy," she said and took her pink pajamas.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Now, your bed is ready, so I'll let you change while I go to check on Quinn. When I come back, I want you to be under the covers, okay?"

Rachel nodded and watched her walk out of the room, closing the door behind her. Alone, Rachel let her eyes analyze everything. She had only been in this room once before, and only for a few seconds. It wasn't a big room, with only a single bed, a dresser and a small rack with a television on top of it. All the walls were white and bare. It was a pretty boring room.

Changing in her pajamas, she climbed on the bed and pulled the covers so she could get under them. It was a little weird to be sleeping in a different bed, she kind of missed her own and all her stuffed animals. And the yellow blanket her Daddy gave her when she turned five. And Dad husky voice singing her to sleep.

She just missed home and her dads. It was funny because only an hour ago she was begging to stay where she was.

Unable to feel comfortable, she kept tossing around. She only stopped when she heard the door open. She turned to see Judy entering the room.

"Are you alright, Rachel?" she asked while picking the dress the girl had been using during the day from the floor and folding it, putting it beside her bag. "Do you need anything? Do you want a glass of warm milk, sweetheart?"

Rachel shook her head.

"No? What about a kiss?"

She stopped to think about it for a second before nodding.

Judy smiled gently and leaned forward to kiss the small diva's forehead. Pulling back, she eyed the girl, her long dark hair and big innocent brown eyes. She couldn't understand how someone would just leave this beautiful tiny girl with another person just so they could go on a trip that could have been easily avoided. If it was her, she wouldn't let anything take her away from her baby.

"Goodnight, honey," she whispered and kissed her forehead once more.

Rachel yawned and offered her a sleepily smile. "Goodnight."

Walking out of the room, she stopped and looked at the girl one more time before turning off the lights.

* * *

Rachel huffed and looked at the clock one more time. It was almost midnight and she couldn't fall asleep. She couldn't find a comfortable position on the bed and there was no light coming from the hallway and there was a branch that kept scrapping the only window of the room, making weird noises that scared her.

She missed her bed and her room. And she missed Quinn.

Giving up, she threw the covers aside and jumped of the bed. Making sure to be quiet, she tiptoed out of the room in the dark hallway and started making her to Quinn's room. She could hear Russell snoring and the faint sound of the television coming from downstairs. Not wanting to be caught out of bed, she quickened her pace.

Quinn woke up when she felt her mattress deepen. Turning around, she found Rachel sitting there, her dark hair wild and wearing a cute pajama full of gold stars.

"Rachel?"

The other girl looked away. "I'm sorry I woke you up, Quinn," she mumbled softly. "I just couldn't sleep."

Trying to blink the sleep away from her eyes, the blonde sat up on the bed, revealing her yellow Bob Sponge pajama.

Rachel giggled.

"Shut up," the blonde whispered blushing.

"Sorry." Rachel tried to stop her giggles, but she couldn't. "It's just adorable."

Quinn felt her cheeks getting warmer, so she covered herself again. "Stop it, Rachel!"

"Okay, okay." She took one deep breath to calm herself and grinned. "I loved it, by the way." She grew serious once again. "Hmmm, like I said, I couldn't sleep on the other room. So… Could I sleep here with you? I don't want be alone."

Letting go of the covers, Quinn smiled and lied back down, pulling Rachel with her. The smaller girl giggled again and got under the covers, scooting closer to Quinn. She finally felt herself relax when she felt the blonde's arms circling her waist and she could smell strawberries everywhere. The bed, the pillow, Quinn's hair.

Rachel smiled against the blonde's shoulder. "Thank you, Quinn."

"I'm really glad you're here, Rach," Quinn whispered and squeezed her lightly. "Sweet dreams."

They were both asleep five minutes later.

* * *

"Hey, Quinn," Rachel called.

They were lying on the grass of the backyard, looking at the sky. It was a beautiful day outside and Judy shooed them out of the house. Frannie was out with some friends and Russell was working, so Judy wanted to clean the house without children getting on her way.

"Yeah, Rach?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

That made the blonde frown. "Of course I can." She turned her face so she could look at the small diva. "You can trust me."

Sighing, Rachel sat up and crossed her legs. "I know I can trust you, it's just… You can't tell anyone, Quinn. Okay? Not your dad or your mom or Frannie."

Feeling her best friend's apprehension, Quinn sat up, too, and nodded her head.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Rachel took one deep breath and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She knew she needed to talk to someone about it and Quinn was that someone. In all the joyful months she had passed with her, Quinn always made her feel happy and safe and cared. Of course, she still had Santana and Brittany, who had been her friends for years now, but Quinn was different. She felt closer to her, somehow. She _trusted _her.

When Quinn reached out and grabbed her hands, holding them in her lap, Rachel felt that warm feeling on her stomach one more time and that was all it took for her to speak.

"There is something wrong," she finally said. "With my dads."

Quinn frowned. "What do toy mean?"

"They…" Rachel sighed. "It started two years ago. Daddy used to work in the hospital here and Dad worked for a friend of his. It was great. I mean, I went to school and Dad would pick me up every day. We waited for Daddy to get home so we could have dinner together and we'd watch a movie after. You know, family stuff.

"And, than, everything changed. Daddy started working more time and he wouldn't have dinner with us or watch any movie. He was never around anymore and Dad was angry, so they started fighting all the time Daddy was home."

"What happened?" Quinn asked.

"That's when he started traveling. Dad says he is an important doctor and now he works in an important hospital, too. In Boston."

"Boston?"

"Yeah, he lives there now. He only comes home three times a month and stays for two days here before going back."

"What about your other father?"

"Dad stayed here with me, but he's working a lot now, too. He is always busy and never home, so I have to stay with our neighbor until he comes home when I'm not here or with Santana or Brittany. Before this, he only travelled two times and it was only one day, so I stayed with Mrs. Smith. It was awful, she has, like, seven cats and they are fat and lazy and like to sit on people. It was a nightmare." She shuddered. "I just wanted him to come home."

Quinn felt her stomach drop. "Do― do you want to go home now?"

Rachel shook her head. "I love to spend time with you, Quinn, and I'm really happy that I got to stay the night here with you. It's just…"

When she saw Rachel's big eyes watering, Quinn pulled the other girl against her and hugged her close. She hated to see Rachel like that, so sad. "What is it, Rach?"

"What if he goes away, too, Quinn?" Rachel cried softly. "What if Dad never comes back and just leaves me here like Daddy did?"

Understanding the main problem, Quinn sighed and tightened her grip on the smaller girl. Rachel rested her head on her shoulder like she always did and let the tears fall because she had finally put it out there, she had just exposed her biggest fear to another person, and it felt good and bad at the same time. She felt lighter, but also terrified.

"He won't, Rachel," Quinn said after a few long minutes.

Rachel sniffed. "How can you be sure, Quinn? I never thought Daddy would leave us, so how can I know if Dad won't do the same thing now?" She felt the blonde shrug. "I'm so scared, Quinn, because I don't have anyone else."

"That's not true." Quinn pulled back so she could look Rachel in the eyes. "You have me, San and Britt."

That made Rachel smile. "Yeah, I do."

A giggle escaped when Quinn pecked her cheek. Her beautiful hazel eyes were shinning with warmth while she dried Rachel's face, softly brushing her thumb on her cheek and gathering the few tears that were still falling.

"Don't cry, Little Star," she said and smiled tenderly. She knew Rachel loved when she called her that. "_I_ will _never _leave you."

And she kept that promise. Years later, when the diva thought she had lost everything, Quinn was still there, hugging her while she cried herself dry inside an empty house.

"Thank you, Quinn."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **The Story of Us

**Pairing: **Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in here.

**Summary: **AU. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't have her best friends around. And that is because they were always there. Years together of laughter, tears, secrets, fights and love. It was great story. Their story. Faberry, side Brittana.

**A/N: **Ooops, I'm late. I don't really know what happened, I mean, I had this chapter done for a month now, so it was really just my lazy ass the problem here. Sorry about that. Well, anyway, you already know what Rachel's problem is and I should probably warn you that it won't get better anytime soon. Poor Rachel, I'm such a bitch to her. ): Reviews are always appreciated, thanks for reading.

**Chapter 4 ― Elementary School**

"Oh, look!" Brittany grinned. "Holly Thanksgiving is here."

Rachel groaned and rolled her eyes. It had been over a year of unsuccessful attempts and she was done with it. Brittney could call their ridiculous named teacher whatever she wanted, she didn't care anymore.

Quinn chucked beside her. "I think it's cute, Rach."

"Well, I don't."

"She is at least saying actual Holidays now." The blonde shrugged. "And Ms. Holiday loves when Brittany calls her that, so, stop worrying."

Sighing, Rachel shook her head. "I can't believe we'll have class with her another year," she said while observing Holly enter the room wearing her creepy smile and one of her weird shirts. "How can someone let this woman teach children? Wait, no, who let her be a teacher in the first place?"

Santana, who was sitting behind them, huffed. "I don't give a fuck."

"Santana, language!"

The Latina ignored her and threw another paper ball at Finn, who was sitting a few chairs ahead. Apparently, his mother forgot to take him to have his hair cut, so it now was a terrible mess on the top of his head. Santana was delighted when she found out that her paper balls simply disappeared in the middle of his hair, so she'd been throwing then for the last fifteen minutes. Mrs. Hudson would not be amused.

"So, Rach," Quinn called. "You'll be coming over today, right?"

The tiny brunette nodded. "But I have to be home by seven. Daddy is coming home this weekend and I have to help Dad clean the house."

Quinn frowned. "Your Daddy is coming home? I thought he wasn't coming this month anymore."

"He wasn't, but apparently some friend of his will work for him this weekend so he can visit us," Rachel said and shrugged. "I don't understand, really. But, I mean, he is coming, so, it doesn't matter."

Rachel looked down to hide her confused eyes from the blonde, but Quinn knew her too well. Looking around the class, she saw that no one was looking their way, so she leaned closer to the brunette.

"You don't look too happy, Rachel," she whispered. "What's wrong?"

"I _am_ happy." Rachel looked up so she could stare at hazel warm eyes. "It's just… Daddy didn't come last mouth and Dad is pissed. He keeps saying that Daddy doesn't care anymore and I heard them fighting over the phone once." She leaned closer so only the blonde could hear her. "He said… he said that Daddy is seeing someone else."

Quinn's hazel eyes widened.

"You mean, like, cheating?" Quinn whispered.

Rachel nodded softly. "Yeah. He kept screaming and I'm scared of what will happen when Daddy gets here."

Holly picked that moment to clap her hands and call everyone's attention. Quinn reached out and took one of Rachel's hands, holding it while she turned to look at their teacher, who was grinning in the front of the class.

"Alright, kids!" Holly exclaimed and winked at Brittany. "How about we learn some of our Holidays today?"

Rachel sighed.

"Oh, God, no."

* * *

Frannie entered Quinn's room to find her little sister and her best friend lying on the floor. They were flipping through one of Judy's gossip magazine, both looking at the articles with adorable curious eyes. She chuckled when Rachel let out a dramatic gasp and pointed to something while Quinn nodded with her 'I know, right?' expression in place.

"What are you doing?" she asked and watched in amusement while both girls tried to hide the magazine.

Quinn ended up sitting on it while Rachel smiled her best innocent smile.

"Hi, Frannie!" they said at the same time.

The older girl ignored it and stepped into the room.

"Where did you get that?"

"Get what?" Quinn asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Yes, Frannie, what are you talking about?" Rachel added.

She ignored them again and extended one hand, waiting. Both girls dropped the innocent act and reluctantly gave her the gossip magazine they had been reading only minutes before.

"In our defense," Rachel said. "She left it in the bathroom. It was practically _begging_ to be grabbed."

Quinn nodded, agreeing.

Frannie rolled her eyes and chuckled again. "I am sure it was, Little Monkey. Now, come on, your father is here to pick you up." She offered one hand to Rachel, who hesitated in taking it. "Hmmm, is everything okay, Rachel?"

Rachel looked at Quinn with big fearful eyes before tackling her blonde best friend, hugging her so tightly that she stopped breathing for a moment. She pecked the blonde's cheek before letting go, leaving a stunned Quinn Fabray lying on the floor.

"I'll see you Monday, Quinn," she said with a sad smile before taking Frannie's hand. Turning to look at the confused older girl, she nodded. "We can go now, Fran."

They exited the room and descended the stairs quickly. Hiram was waiting by the front door with Russell. The former scowling and basically ignoring the later, his arms crossed over his black suit clad chest.

"Oh, there you are," Hiram grumbled and took Rachel's little hand from Frannie, who frowned. "Couldn't you be any faster, Rachel? You know we have a lot to do and I want the house perfect for tomorrow."

Russell narrowed his hazel eyes. "Tomorrow?"

Hiram looked at the other man with a blank face. "Yes," was his only answer. "We have to go now, Fabray. Always nice seeing you." He nodded once and started dragging his daughter in the direction of his red car.

Rachel looked over her shoulder and waved goodbye before disappearing inside her father's car.

Frannie was still frowning. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know, Fran," Russell grumbled. "But I don't like it."

* * *

Leroy arrived the next morning.

Rachel was sitting at the kitchen table, eating her cereal, when she heard the front door open. Her Dad, who was sitting in front of her with his coffee, tensed and looked at the entry of the small kitchen of the Berry residence, waiting for his husband.

The sound of footsteps coming closer made her heart race and she had to fight to stay seated. She hadn't seen her Daddy for almost two months now, and even though she was mad at him for taking too long to come home, she couldn't help but miss him.

"I'm home," he shouted from the corridor, his strong voice echoing around the house.

She couldn't wait anymore. Jumping from her chair, she ran out of the kitchen and around the corner, finding her father standing there. He was so tall and muscular and his tired smile still lightened the whole room.

"Princess!"

"Daddy!"

He bent down and scooped her in his arms, hugging her tightly. Rachel grabbed his white shirt with both hands and pulled him closer, burying her head on his neck. Her father's hug was so familiar, but it felt different at the same time. It was still his arms around her, but something else had changed. Was it his cologne? Or the way he held her, maybe?

They were so immersed in each other that they didn't notice Hiram enter the room. The smaller man stayed quiet, just looking father and daughter hug in the middle of the corridor. He felt his eyes start tearing up because he missed that scene so much. It used to happen all the time, Leroy used to hug their little girl at least three times a day because he adored having Rachel in his arms. And, now, when was the last time he had hugged her? Two months ago? When was the last time he had hugged _him_? One _year_ ago?

"You look so beautiful, princess," Leroy said to his beaming child. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too, Daddy." Rachel fisted his shirt and hugged him again. She wasn't ready to let him go yet, not after two months without seeing him. "Why did you take so long?"

Leroy sighed. "I was working, Rachel."

"I know," Rachel replied with hurt in her sweet voice. "That's the only thing you do, right?"

Suddenly, she didn't feel like hugging him anymore. Letting his shirt go, she struggled until her father put her back on her small feet.

Leroy looked upset. "Hey, that is not fair, princess…"

"No, Daddy, you know what is not fair?" Her eyes were shinning with unshed tears. "What is not fair is that you work so much that you don't have time for me and Dad. What is not fair is that I only get to see you once a month now, Father. Because you are too busy _working_. _That_ is not fair, Father."

And, than, she gave her best storm out because she wanted her father to see that what he was doing wasn't acceptable, that he couldn't just leave his ten years old daughter behind and expect her to be okay with it. She passed her Dad without looking at him and ran out of the house, leaving her fathers alone inside.

She didn't stay to see the big fight that took place in that corridor only minutes later, the same fight that would later result in the divorce of the two men. While they threw insults and accusations at each other, their tiny daughter ran two blocks and ended up in front of the Pierce house.

Knocking, she waited until a sleepily Brittany opened the door. The blonde didn't know what was wrong because Rachel was just crying and saying random words like 'father' and 'hospital' and 'Boston'. But she didn't need to understand what was happening, she just hugged her littler brunette friend and brought her inside.

One hour later, Rachel found herself lying on Brittany's bed with her, Quinn and Santana beside her. That was when she told her other two friends her family situation and the other girls cuddled with her while watching cartoons, no one saying anything.

"We are here for you, Tiny," Santana whispered against her ear hours later. "We'll protect you."

And Rachel believed her.

* * *

After that month, Rachel only saw her father four more times that year. He would come back and pass some time with her, they would watch musicals and talk and cook, but Rachel could feel he didn't really want to be there.

Hiram was always travelling when Leroy was home.

The next year, Leroy visited seven times.

The next, only three. He sent her Christmas present through the mail that year because he wouldn't be able to make it. Not that that was any surprise; he hadn't been able to make it the prior year either.

And after three years, he just stopped coming home.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Tiny?" Santana asked for the fifth time that afternoon. "I know you trust them and all, but this is your family, you know? It's okay if you don't want to tell anyone else."

Rachel sighed and shook her head. Quinn was seating not so far with Brittany by her side. Both blondes were talking to Frannie, but she could feel her hazel eyes on her.

"I _want _to do it, Santana," Rachel assured her Latina friend. "They have been taking care of me for more them a year now, I trust them. I feel like they need to know what is going on."

Santana still wasn't convinced, but it wasn't her problem to tell. Rachel was the one that needed to know what to do and it looked like she'd decided.

After Rachel told her about her parents, the Latina was so furious, but she kept it all inside in order to be there for her tiny friend. Rachel needed her more than she needed to beat the crap out of her dads. Not that she thought she really could. Leroy was, like, scarily tall. But that didn't mean she couldn't _want _to do it.

She had always seen Rachel like her little annoying sister. They'd known each other since they were six and she fought all those years to keep her safe from everybody, but she would have never imagined that it would be her own fathers who would hurt her the most. It made her angry at them and she would be lying if she told she wasn't a little bit hurt. It took so long for Rachel to tell her what was happening and she couldn't help but feel like the little diva didn't really trust her.

Yeah, she was ten and already a bitch, but she loved Rachel with all her heart.

So, no, she didn't want her to tell the Fabray family what was going on because she wanted to keep Rachel safe herself. The Latina wanted to show her that she _could _protect her, that she didn't need to tell any adult because she would take care of everything.

But she also knew that it wasn't true. Rachel needed the support of an adult right now, because the people who were supposed to be taking care of her were too busy running away from her.

"Okay," she finally relented.

Rachel smiled softly and leaned forward to peck her fierce friend's cheek. It was such a sweet and delicate gesture that Santana felt her cheeks getting warmer, but her tanned skin hid her blush well.

Like she knew what was running through the Latina's head, Rachel whispered, "I love you, San."

"I love you, too, Tiny."

Smiling, she placed her head on the Latina's shoulder and stayed like that until Russell came home from work.

"You wanted to talk to us, sweetheart?" Judy asked.

They were all seated in the living room. Rachel was sitting between Quinn and Santana with Brittany sitting beside the later while Russell, Judy and Frannie were sitting on the bigger couch, looking at them with curious faces.

"Yeah, I did," Rachel answered.

Taking one deep breath, Rachel opened her mouth and talked.

She told them everything, from how it started until her father's last visit. She told them how she'd found Hiram crying when she got home, the way he was just sitting in the middle of the corridor and didn't even look at her when she stopped in front of him. How, now, one week later, he would pick her up and take her home, but he wouldn't talk to her.

Santana scowled the whole time, Quinn held her hand, rubbing circles in the back of it with her thumb and Brittany listened to everything with a sad face, her blue eyes shining with unshed tears.

Judy was the first one to react when she finished. The blonde mother stood up and took her in her arms. Rachel felt like crying all over again because it felt so good to be hugged like that. She'd never had a mother figure her entire life and she always thought she didn't need one, but that was a lie. She found out at that moment that a mother's hug was the best remedy to every kind of pain. It was just pure magic.

"Oh, baby," Judy whispered against her hair. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of it."

"Little Monkey…"

Rachel looked over Judy's shoulder to find Frannie there. Her blue eyes were sad, but she had a small smile on her lips.

"If they don't want you anymore, I'll just adopt you, okay?"

"Oh, my― Frannie!"

"What? I will!"

The little diva was startled when another pair of arms took her away from Judy. Russell practically smashed her against his chest and she felt herself relax again, breathing in the cologne that she now knew better than her own father's.

"It's going to be okay, Rachel," he said to the girl that he already saw like one of his children. "You are going to be okay."

She looked up at him and smiled. Beside her, Judy was still chastising Frannie for been so insensitive. Looking at the couch, she found her three best friends staring at her with concerned eyes and she finally felt complete after a long time.

"I know."


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **The Story of Us

**Pairing: **Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in here.

**Summary: **AU. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't have her best friends around. And that is because they were always there. Years together of laughter, tears, secrets, fights and love. It was great story. Their story. Faberry, side Brittana.

**A/N: **I have no idea why it took me so long to update. Sorry about that, by the way. Like always, the mistakes you will find are all mine.

**Chapter 5 ― Elementary School**

No one really understood why Santana liked to fight so much. The young Latina seemed to always be involved in a fight somewhere with random people. All the boys of their classed had been punched by her at least once ― Finn had been punched more times than he could count, the Latina just loved to punch his idiotic confused face. When they went for a walk, the Latina would piss off strangers so she could argue with them.

It was hell. And Rachel had reached her limit.

Santana was now insulting a poor old man that was walking with his poor old dog at the park. The elder looked shocked, with his mouth open and eyes wide, mostly because he'd never seen such a young girl that knew so many bad words and was capable of forming sentences with them that actually made sense.

"Sorry, sir!" Rachel grabbed the Latina by her arm and started dragging her away. "I'm really sorry. Don't listen to her; I am sure your wife didn't cheat on you. You're a lovely man! Have a good day!"

She dragged her friend to one of the benches and sat her down. The Latina was fuming and glaring at the older man, who was still in shock, standing there and staring at nothing. His dog was too old to stand and was now lying on the ground, probably sleeping.

"Santana, stop glaring at him," Rachel hissed and sat on the bench beside her agitated friend. "What is wrong with you? He didn't do anything to you."

Stopping her glaring at the older man, she turned so she could glare at the small diva seated beside her. "He didn't do anything? Are you kidding me? He is so old he should be forbidden to go out and stop in front of other younger people who happens to not want to waste their times waiting for him to move his fucking old legs!" She got up and pointed her finger in the shocked man's direction. "Did you hear that, fossil? Go find someone who is actually willing to push a fucking wheelchair for you!"

Everyone at the small park was now looking at them with disapproving eyes. Santana seemed to not notice the attention she was drawing to herself and kept screaming obscenities to the poor old man and his poor old now sleeping dog. Rachel, in the other hand, was well aware of the attention and tried to shut her friend up one more time.

Santana was _not _amused.

"What the hell, Tiny?" she yelled.

Rachel was just happy that the old man finally snapped out of his frozen state and was now dragging his dog away the faster his old legs could go. Now she just had to distract Santana enough so she wouldn't be able to find another target so soon. And she should act fast because there was a fat lady not so far trying to stuff five hotdogs in her mouth at the same time. She was basically _begging _for Santana to open her mouth.

"Stop yelling at people, Santana," she said softly. "You are scaring everyone around us and, honestly, you are scaring me, too."

At hearing Rachel's soft tone, the Latina felt her tense body relax. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear it because she knew that she had done something wrong. Rachel was scared of her… God, Rachel shouldn't be scared of _her_.

"I'm sorry, Tiny," she whispered a few minutes later when she was calm enough. Opening her eyes, she went to sit beside her petite friend, wrapping one arm around her waist so she could drag her closer. "I really am. Please, don't be scared of me."

Rachel sighed and took Santana's free hand, lacing their fingers. She wasn't really scared of the Latina, she knew Santana only liked to scream and only fought with people she knew could take a hit. But that didn't mean she liked to see her friend yelling obscenities to some poor elder man. Or that little girl she had screamed earlier who had ran away crying. Or the innocent dog that had been sleeping under the tree where Santana wanted to sit before. Or the weird man with that funny moustache… Well, she just didn't like to see her yelling.

"Don't worry, San." She squeezed her hand gently before bringing it to her lips so she could kiss her knuckles. There were scars there because of old fist fights and Rachel could feel them against her soft lips. "But why do you do it, Santana?"

Santana shook her head again. She couldn't tell her innocent friend that she fought so much because she wanted to be able to learn what to do when she really needed to fight. She wanted to know the best place to punch and she wanted to learn how to avoid been hit. She just wanted to know how to _fight_.

But, most of all, she wanted to able to protect herself and the ones who she loved. She wouldn't― _couldn't_ let someone take advantage of her because they were bigger or stronger. Santana couldn't be unprepared. She refused to be like her mother, who had let a man physically abuse her ― _them ― _for years just because she was scared of him. When her mother finally grew some balls and divorced the bastard, Santana promised herself that she wouldn't let that happen again to them.

Not only her mother, she had Brittany and Rachel to worry about. And now she had Quinn, too. She fought for a reason, and that was because she wanted to learn how to keep people like her own father away from them.

But when she screamed like that, how she had just done with that innocent old man, she knew that _that_ wasn't right. _That _was the sick part of herself that she got from her father talking, not the overprotective Santana. The part that liked to make people suffer, that liked to throw their flaws in their faces so she could drink from their sadness.

That was the part of herself that she hated.

And she couldn't tell Rachel that, her tiny singer friend would never understand. Santana needed to get hidden of it first before she ended up hurting one of them. God, she would never forgive herself if she hurt them.

"This is a story for another time, Tiny," she finally said.

Rachel sighed. "Will you tell me someday?"

Santana shrugged.

"I really hope so, Rachel."

* * *

Rachel opened her eyes and smiled when she felt Quinn's arms circling her waist, cuddling her from behind. That was how they always ended whenever the brunette stayed the night; Judy had given up putting her in the guest room, she would always find Rachel in Quinn's room the next morning.

Looking at the pink clock Quinn had beside her bed, Rachel saw it was almost 7am. She was ready to start her day, but Quinn seemed to be deep in sleep behind her if the blonde's soft snores were anything to go by. Quinn was so lazy! She would normally poke her best friend until she finally gave up sleeping and got up with her, but she had something important to do that morning.

Carefully, she escaped Quinn's embrace and smiled when the blonde groaned. Getting out of bed, she kissed her friend's cheek softly and Quinn stopped tossing around instantly, a sleepily smile appearing in her face. Sighing, she hugged one pillow and turned around, going back to her peaceful sleep.

In her pink pajamas, Rachel exited Quinn's room and skipped to Frannie's room. Without knocking, she opened the door and entered.

Frannie was lying on her big bed, snoring just like her little sister. There were blonde hair and limbs everywhere, it was a mess.

Sighing, she jumped on the bed and crawled her way to Frannie's head. The girl slept like a rock because she didn't even stir when Rachel bounced around in her bed.

"Frannie," she called and got no response. "Come on, Fran." Poke. "Frannie, wake up." Poke. "Francesca Fabray, open your eyes." Poke. "I can do this all day, you know…" Poke. "Frannie!" Poke, poke, poke, poke. "Urgh!"

"Rachel Barbra Berry, if you poke my face one more time, I'll kill you!"

Rachel stopped and beamed.

"Oh, you woke up! Good."

Frannie huffed and opened one eye to find Rachel sitting cross-legged beside her head. Groaning, she closed her eye again and turned her head around so the little diva wouldn't be able to poke her face again.

"Go away, Little Monkey," she mumbled and tried to go back to sleep.

Rachel was having none of that.

With a particular powerful poke at the older girl's rib that made Frannie groan in pain, she huffed. "Frannie, you can't go back to sleep! I need to talk to you."

Giving up reluctantly, Frannie rolled so she was lying on her back. She whined when she looked at her alarm clock and saw that it wasn't even 7am yet. It was freaking _Saturday_!

"If I let you talk, will you let me sleep after?" she pleaded.

Rachel nodded with that big adorable smile of hers.

"Okay." Sitting up, she pulled the brunette on her lap and smiled when Rachel made herself confortable. She'd found out that the younger girl loved when someone would hug her or just hold her hand, probably because her fathers never did it to her anymore. Rachel just wanted to feel close to someone. "Spill, Berry."

The small diva took one of her hands and started playing with her fingers.

"I need to ask you a favor, Fran," she said.

Frannie raised one of her eyebrows. "And what would that be?"

She hesitated before speaking. "It's about Santana. There is something going on with her but she doesn't want to tell me what is wrong."

"Okay." Frannie frowned. "What do want me to do?"

"Could you sit down with her and talk about it? You know, about her fights and her need to yell at everyone that is close enough to hear her. I always thought that that was just the way she is, but I think there is more to it and she is hiding it from us. Maybe she'll talk to you."

Felling how upset the smaller girl was, she hugged her close and laid her head on top of hers. "I will talk to her, Monkey, but I don't know why you think she will open up to me of all people. You are her best friends; I am just the bitch that likes to annoy her whenever she can."

"She said that, didn't she?" Rachel rolled her eyes.

Frannie chuckled. "Yeah."

"I think that maybe that is exactly the problem, Fran," the diva said and sighed. "Santana was always protective of us, she feels like she needs to. I think that's why she keeps her problems to herself, so she doesn't have to worry us or something."

"But she doesn't have to worry about me," Frannie finished.

Rachel nodded. "Yes, you are just a bitch to her."

The older girl laughed and pushed the diva out of her lap.

"You brat!"

"What? You said it before me!" Rachel laughed, too, and crawled her way back to Frannie's lap. "So, will you talk to her? For me? Please, Fran…" She pouted.

"Of course, I will, Little Monkey."

Rachel squealed and threw her arms around her neck. "Thank you so much, Frannie!"

"You're welcome, Rachel."

Letting her go, she kissed her cheek just like she'd done with Quinn earlier before getting out of the bed. "You can go back to sleep now. Thank you again for what you are doing. I am really worried about Santana and, I have to admit, a little sad that she won't open up to me, but I can understand. Well, just thank you! I'll go poke Quinn until she wake up now. Bye, Frannie!"

She chuckled while watching the small diva exit her bedroom. Finally alone, she fell back on her pillows and tried to go back to sleep.

Ten minutes later, she was still very much awake.

At 7am in a freaking Saturday.

"Damn it, Little Monkey!"

* * *

Later that day, Frannie finally found herself alone with the little Latina after Quinn and Rachel disappeared upstairs and Brittany went after Judy for food because she was hungry. Santana was messing with the remote control of the television like always with her bored to hell face on.

"Okay," Frannie whispered to herself. Taking one deep breath, she sat on the floor beside the younger girl, who just ignored her presence like she always did. "Hmmm, Santana, would you like to go for a walk with me?"

She didn't want to have that conversation inside the house in case some of the girls or her mother listened to whatever Santana had to say. Well, that was _if _Santana said anything to her.

Frowning, the Latina turned her head to look at the blonde. "Why would I want to go for a walk with you, bitch?"

Frannie rolled her eyes. "Just get up and come with me."

"No."

"Oh, come on! I'll buy you ice cream if you come with me," she pleaded.

Taking her sweet time to think about the offer, the Latina shrugged and turned off the television. It was free ice cream, after all.

"Okay, Barbie," she said and got up. "Let's go."

Five minutes later, they were walking side by side toward the nearest park in silence. She wanted to sit down with the girl before she started, so Frannie waited until they got to the park and were sitting on one of the wooden benches, ice cream in hands. Santana seemed relaxed enough, so she took her chance.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Santana shrugged. "Sure."

"Why do you like to fight so much?" she shot.

The reaction was instantaneous. Santana tensed and glared at her, jumping out of the bench so she could put some distance between her and the confused blonde that had bought her ice cream.

"It's none of your damn business," she hissed and turned around to walk away.

That went well, Frannie thought sarcastically.

"Santana, wait!" she shouted and ran after the kid. "Wait, come on. I am just curious, okay? There is no need to get defensive here, it was an innocent question."

Reluctantly, the Latina stopped walking and turned around to face Frannie. "Why do you want to know?"

Frannie shrugged. "Like I said, I'm just curious."

Santana sighed and considered her options. She knew Frannie wasn't _just curious _about her reasons for fighting and she figured it was probably Rachel that asked the older blonde to talk to her. That sounded like something Rachel would do. So, she could continue to ignore Frannie and go back home, or she could stay and talk. Honestly, she liked Frannie a lot. The girl was a pain in the ass, but she trusted her. She felt like she could relax when she was around, weirdly enough.

Would it be so bad to talk with someone about her problems?

Santana sighed. "Buy me another ice cream, bitch, and I'll think about it."

Frannie grinned. "'Kay!"

They found themselves back at the same bench five minutes later. Santana now had _two _ice creams and a shitty grin on her face while Frannie glared at her. That little brat could be persuasive!

"Spill already, Santana!" she grumbled.

"Okay, okay…" The Latina sighed. "Listen, Frannie, what I will tell you is a secret, I never told it to anyone else. Not Brittany or Rachel or Quinn. So, you can't tell anyone else. _Especially_ Rachel ― who I know was the one that asked you to be here. I'm trusting you here, okay?"

Nodding, the older girl waited for Santana to start.

"So… I'll start from the beginning, I guess. I moved to Lima five years ago with my mom. She had some friend that lived here and with her family and we stayed with them for two years before my mom could afford a place for us," Santana said. "We are better now. We have this small house in a nice neighborhood and now she only has to work one job, so she can spend more time with me. We're good.

"Before we moved here, we lived in California with my… father. We never had much money because he passed more time unemployed and wasting what we had drinking than actually working. Mom says they met at high school and she got pregnant at seventeen, that's why she married him.

"He was always drunk. Like, every minute he wasn't passed out. I don't remember much, but I remember enough of what happened when he wasn't passed out or away drinking. He liked…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "He liked to yell at her; a lot. He called her names and, when he was really drunk, he would beat her. I remember her screams."

Frannie was shocked. She'd expected some stupid story about how Santana was just born to punch people and how it was her special talent, but she hadn't expected _that_.

"Only her?" escaped her open mouth.

She needed to know. If that man had ever touched the small Latina ― _her small bitchy Latina ―, _she was going to fly to California and fucking kill that miserable bastard with her bare hands!

Santana hesitated before shaking her head slowly.

Frannie saw red. That son of a fucking bitch! "I will kill him," she growled.

The Latina's eyes widened.

"Frannie, what― Ah!" She found herself being attacked by a par of strong arms before she could even finish her sentence.

Frannie hugged her tightly and felt Santana tense immediately, but she didn't let her go. Images of a younger Santana, just a little innocent girl, with bruises over her beautiful face had invaded her head and she needed to reassure herself that she was fine, that she was still there.

"Don't hug me, bitch," Santana mumbled against Frannie's shoulder, but made no mention of trying to get out of the tight embrace and, after a minute, she relaxed and hugged the blonde back.

"Why do you fight so much?" Frannie repeated the question that originated the whole discussion.

Santana sighed. "Because I have to learn how to protect the ones I love."

Leaning back just enough to look the younger girl in the eyes, Frannie saw the desperation and determination she had in those beautiful dark orbs. Santana was only ten, almost eleven, but her eyes lacked that beautiful innocence every kid had. She'd seen already how cruel this world could be and Frannie felt her fury being rapidly replaced with sadness.

"It was not your fault, Santana," she said softly and grabbed Santana's suddenly quivering chin when the Latina tried to look away. "You were just a kid. God, you _are _a kid! There was nothing you could have done to stop it."

Santana tried hard not to cry. "I know that."

"Then why fight?" Frannie was confused.

"Because I can't change what happened, but I can guarantee that it won't happen again in the future," Santana admitted.

Oh, God… Now Frannie felt like crying, too!

"Damn it, bitch. Don't you dare cry on me!"

Frannie laughed despite the tears that were making her vision blurry. "I don't know what you are talking about," she said and smiled. "You are the one that is crying here."

Santana huffed. "I am not crying!"

"Whatever, Santana." She chuckled and wiped her eyes.

They stayed in silence for some minutes, just trying to calm down. While Santana tried to keep her emotions in check, Frannie was analyzing everything she'd learned about the smaller girl.

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, Santana," she said. "And I won't. Even though I _should_, I won't."

"Thanks, Frannie," Santana mumbled softly.

Frannie nodded once and wrapped the Latina in a one-armed hug, bringing her closer. This time, Santana just fell against her naturally.

"But!" Frannie smirked when Santana groaned. "But I want you to quit fighting with all those boys you love so much to punch."

Santana's eyes widened. "No! Frannie, I told why I do it. I need it!"

"You don't need it, Santana. I know now why you do it, yes, and I will help you with it, I promise. But you can't continue to fight the way you do, you'll get really hurt someday and I want to avoid that."

The Latina was still unsure. "But, Frannie, I―"

"I will help you, Santana," Frannie interrupted her. "I swear."

Finally relenting, she reluctantly nodded. "Okay."

"Do you promise me to stop fighting?" she pressed.

Santana growled. "Yes, I promise," she said and huffed. "Whatever."

Frannie beamed.

"Thank you."

* * *

After that day, Santana only broke her promise two times, but only years later. And she didn't regret it.

That same week, Frannie sat down with Mrs. Lopez and explained to the woman her plans. After she finished talking, Carla Lopez got up and hugged her, whispering a tremulous 'thank you' against her ear.

* * *

And, in the next Monday, Santana went to her first Thai Boxing class with Frannie by her side with a proud smile on her Barbie face.


End file.
